Daisy Cooks! With Daisy Martinez

Daisy Martinez began as a prep-kitchen chef on the Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen television series and as a private chef in New York City. In addition to her own show, Daisy manages a small catering business, "The Passionate Palate."

Dad's Firehouse Dinner#101Cooking runs in Daisy's family. Today Daisy visits her dad's firehouse in Brooklyn NY, and prepares a meal that was always a hit with the guys there: an olive and ham stuffed pot roast (Carne Merchada), string beans with roasted garlic, and simple, but perfect, white rice.

Mexico Magico#102Daisy prepares two dishes inspired by the regional cuisines of Mexico: traditional braised pork with Guajillo chiles, and a delicious casserole of crispy tortillas, chicken, and sauce. Daisy visits the colorful Mexican communities in Queens and Brooklyn NY, and samples some great Tamales made by a woman outside a Brooklyn Church.

A Trip to Cuba#103Daisy visits Miami and takes us on a personal tour of Little Havana. Back home in her kitchen, Daisy introduces us to a fantastic dish of slow-cooked, fall off the fork tender beef called Ropa Vieja (translated: "Old Clothes"). Then, she takes the beloved Cuban Frijol Negro - black bean - and prepares an aromatic dish of black beans and white rice called Moros y Cristianos ("Moors & Christians") with a delicious Black Bean Soup.

Latin Seafood#104Join Daisy's daughter and father as they try their luck fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. In the kitchen, we have much better luck as Daisy shows us how to make Shrimp Seviche and Acaraje, a Brazilian shrimp dish that will make you want to sing and dance along with her.

Fast & Fresh 1 - Grandma's Pork Chops#105Here are some of Daisy's favorite "everyday" on the table in well under an hour: Grandma's Pork Chops (Chuletas de Abuela), Pink Beans with Ham-adapted to use canned beans - and rice simmered with sweet corn. Daisy also shares some early memories through old home movies of family visits to Abuela's house.

Empanadas#106Latin America abounds with recipes for small or large empanadas-filled turnovers of every description. Daisy makes two simple doughs: including a red dough made with yuca, and stuffs them with her favorite fillings: Crab (Relleno de Cangrejo) and Sweet Plaintain and Raisin Filling (Relleno de Maduros Y Pasas).

Tapas#107Through her photo album, we join Daisy and her family on a trip to Spain, where they fell in love with Tapas. Daisy captures the excitement and flavors of Spain's Tapas bars with a glorious spread that's perfect for your next party. From simple starters like spiced olives and chile chocolate seasoned almonds, Daisy raises the bar with asparagus wrapped in Serano ham, skewered Seafood brochettes (Pincho de Mariscos) and the staple of Tapas bars, Patates Fritas -home made Potato Chips.

Media Hora 1#108Simple, fast, and delicious, Daisy shows us how to make grilled Calamari with orange sauce (Salsa de Naranja Agria), then a Daisy specialty, Espinacas Daisy: sauteed spinach and ham with pine nuts and garlic and tiny potatoes Creole style. Then Daisy cooks a fabulous stovetop Mariscada (mixed Shellfish in Green Sauce).

At The Beach#109Even if it's the middle of winter and your kitchen is in Minnesota, Daisy's stovetop Grilled Whole Red Snapper with garlicky Ajilimojili sauce will fill it with the fragrances and flavors of the Caribbean. For a side dish, Daisy makes Tostones (Crispy Fried Breadfruit Chips). In this episode, Daisy takes us for an outing to Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, to see some minor league baseball where we meet Roberto Clemente Jr. and reminisce about his father, a baseball hero. We also get to some home movies with Daisy, at 3 years old, on the beach with her family.

Barbecued Chicken#110A perfectly simple dinner for a warm summer night (or, for that matter, on a cold winter night), Daisy shows us how to butterfly a chicken, then grill it pressed down by a brick for a deliciously crisp skin and lovely texture. Daisy also shares her mom's fabulous potato salad recipe with us.

One Pot Meal (Caldo Gallego)#111Every culture has at least one one-pot meal, and this is a contribution from the Latino table. Daisy combines a variety of meats and vegetables in a large pot and slowly simmers them in broth. Daisy makes a light, flavorful salad of crisp Romaine, Beets and cheese to round out this healthy and delicious meal. Episodes includes a tour of the Essex Street Market, a New York fixture where Daisy talks about Latino food staples.

Mexican Classics#112Daisy makes two delicious Mexican classics, first Chile Relano's, a Chile stuffed with a delicious picadillo, then battered, fried and finished in the oven. Dasiy follows this with a beautiful Flan made with a secret Mexican ingrediant.

Cocktail Party#113Throw a cocktail party, Latin style. Cocas-pizza-like flat breads topped with a variety of savory treats, like chorizo, sausage, and sautéed onions - are easy to cut, serve, and eat by hand, even while holding a glass or red or white sangria. Daisy gives us her special guacamole recipe and rounds out the spread with Bunuelos de Queso, delicious cheese fritters, as she waits to party with her girlfriends.

Pasta Latino#114Italy hasn't cornered the market on pasta as Daisy demonstrates when she whips up two Latin-influenced pasta dishes. Expand your pasta horizons with Fideos de Mariscos Spain's classic dish of Seafood and angel hair pasta and a family favorite, Grandma's Chicken and Spaghetti.

Media Hora 2#115We join Daisy on a visit to Manhattan's Latino Barrio (Spanish neighborhood). When she gets home, she doesn't have a lot of time to prepare dinner, and puts together an amazing meal in about a half an hour. The menu features Bistec Encebollado-steak with sautéed onions - one of the ten dishes Daisy says you can't live without. Daisy's favorite tomato salad and green beans with potatoes round out the menu.

Spanish Classics (Chicken & Figs)#116The cooking of Spain is a flavorful blend of the familiar and the completely unexpected. Share a meal with Daisy that starts with Shrimp in Garlic Sauce and moves on to Braised Chicken with Figs (Pollo con Higos) and fragrant yellow rice.

Sweet Endings#117Daisy teaches us how to bake a Brazo de Gitano, or "Gypsy's Arm," a simple but impressive jelly roll cake she learned how to make from her sister-in-law Ro, a gifted pastry chef. Daisy further sweetens the mix by making 2 tropical ice creams-tamarindo (tamarind) and coconut.

Fast & Fresh 2 - Swordfish#118We start off in Daisy's beloved Puerto Rico with a Grilled Swordfish Steak topped with a warm Eggplant Relish, a Daisy creation. Daisy accompanies the grilled fish with a unique Chilean Tomato Salad she learned to make from a friend.

Paella#119Paella is one of the most famous and best loved dishes in the world. It's also the perfect party dish. In this episode, Daisy walks us through all the simple steps you need to put together this classic dish, and then shares two of her favorite variations, a vegetarian Paella and a quick Paella.

In Praise of Beans#120Dried beans are a vital part of Latin cooking, from Spain to Central America, the Caribbean and on down to the tip of Chile, and across America from New York to Mexico to Los Angeles. You'll find them in soups, tapas, appetizers, main dishes and even desserts. Today, Daisy prepares a few of her favorites: A Puerto Rican White Bean Soup, an Argentinean dish of Chick Peas and Swiss Chard and a Sweet Bean dessert from the Dominican Republic, Habichuelas con Dulce.

Praise of El Pollo#121When it comes to cooking, chicken is the universal language. This is especially true in the Latino kitchen. Today, Daisy starts with a simple spice-rubbed Roast Chicken (Pollo Asado), moves on to a Salvadoran stuffed chicken, then tops it all with what her kids like to call "Cracker-Jack" chicken -- Pollo Velleroy -- a crunchy caramel and peanuty coated fried chicken.

Christmas Eve at Daisy's#122Noche Buena is the most important holiday in Daisy's house. Come celebrate with her family and share some of the festive dishes like Pernil (roast pork with garlic), rice with pigeon peas, and Coquito (Puerto Rican egg nog). When things quiet down, Daisy will show how to make a delicious Cuban sandwich with leftover sliced Pernil.

Partytime#123Latinos love a party, whether there is an excuse to throw one or not. On a recent trip to Puerto Rico, some of Daisy's cousins, eager to get the family together, decided to christen one of their daughter's dolls. Here's the festive meal that followed: Tostones (fried Plantains), with Guacamole and Crab Seviche; Fresh Cod Fillets (Bacalao Fresco) served in a steaming broth with clams and tomatoes; and to top it off, almond-rum ice cream.

Dominican Specialties#124Daisy is visited by her friend Miguelina from the Dominican Republic. To celebrate, Daisy invites us to join them in a delicious meal of Tostones-thin slices of sweet ripe plantains fried until crispy and golden and served with the Latin classic mojito (garlic sauce), rice and red beans (Arros Junto) and deep-fried marinated chicken chunks (Chicharrones de Pollo).

Feast Day In Puerto Rico#125On St. John the Baptist's feast day, the waters become sacred and at midnight, everyone is at the beach. After the ritual of jumping into the ocean (backwards), which we'll see, it's all about food. Daisy prepares cold Fried Chicken (Pollo Frito), grilled Fillet of Sole wrapped in banana leaf, salt Cod Fritters (Bacalaitos) and Yuca Fritters Stuffed with Crab.

Pasteles#126Pasteles is the Puerto Rican equivalent of tamale that starts with a green banana filling wrapped in banana leaves. From there, the sky is the limit. Daisy is joined by her kids- a long family tradition-to prepare classic Pork filled Pasteles, and then shows us how to make Chicken Pasteles.

Daisy Martinez's cooking has it all — vibrant colors, remarkable flavors and a keen sense of tradition. Martinez is passionate about her culture — its music, fashion, history and, most of all, its food. In Daisy Cooks! Martinez salsas around the kitchen while illustrating simple steps to make Latin-inspired cuisine. In each episode, Martinez prepares two or three recipes — what she calls "real cooking from scratch" — in her studio kitchen. Using a dish as basic as chicken and rice, Martinez explores the endless, yet comfortably familiar possibilities these two humble basic ingredients can produce. She provides easy-to-follow demonstrations, including easily found ingredient substitutions, and teaches techniques passed down from her mother and grandmother. She also familiarizes viewers with food markets and favorite ingredients of the Latino kitchen.